Jatayu (Jimmie Brown) was born in Ohio in the 1950's. He grew up in Cleveland, and was an only child. His early interests were motorcycles and rock n' roll. Jatayu started playing the drums in his teenage years. He continued to play for the rest of his life, and had great taste and finesse as a player. Jatayu played in rock, soul, and reggae bands. He was also in a Doors tribute band for a while, and I once noticed that he was gradually growing sideburns like John Densmore. He laughed it off, and they were gone after a week or so. Jatayu's most notable band was "Clearlight and Masque"- two bands in one, like a Jekyll and Hyde sort of thing. He told me that the members of Devo used to come and watch their show, which was theatrical with costume changes.
Jatayu and Renee met as teenagers, and though they were both married to other people for a while, ultimately ended up together for the rest of his life. Jatayu got interested in Krishna Consciousness in the late 60's after hearing the maha-mantra on a Fugs record. He and his friends used to drum and chant together, bedroom kirtans. Jatayu started going to the temple in Cleveland in the early 70's. He was a brahmacari (monk) for some years, and Renee used to see him chanting in the street as she walked to her job at a bank. He traveled to India in 1974-75 on large pilgrimages to Vrindavan and Mayapur with Srila Prabhupada. He wasn't initiated by Srila Prabhupada- he told me that at that time, he didn't want to subject Srila Prabhupada to taking on his negative karma. He later regretted this, and explained, "He would pass that to his spiritual master, and so on, up the chain, and in that way it's all absorbed." Though not formally initiated by Srila Prabhupada, Jatayu had a deep, loving connection to him and his teachings. I remember him picking dandelions and offering them to his murti of Srila Prabhupada. He said that dandelions are fragrant and can be offered. It was simple and sublime.
Jatayu sang beautiful kirtan and played mridanga in a jubilant and loud style- informed by his rock n' roll drumming, but totally transcendental. Jatayu was later initiated by Bhakti Marga Swami, who viewed him as a godbrother as well as a disciple. He sang all of the bhajans and prayers of the morning program each day before work- he worked at a specialized school for autistic and developmentally delayed children. He chanted japa everywhere, including in the car, seemingly around the clock. Jatayu once told me, "All I want to do is play music and chant Hare Krsna." I went to see his bands a few times, at Amvets halls, Elks Clubs, places like that. Jatayu and Renee raised alpacas and often gave them Sanskrit devotional names. Jatayu loved pizza and root beer. On many occasions, we appreciated these things together. He visited me on a number of occasions, and would usually stay with me around the time of New York Ratha Yatra. Jatayu liked to offer obeisances to devotees, wouldn't hesitate- he would drop to the ground and say the Vaisnava pranama prayer in a playful, rapid-fire, but completely heartfelt way.
We first met when I was a student at Oberlin College. Srimalla Prabhu used to drive me to the program- he would leave his job at Guitar Center in North Olmsted, drive out of the way to Oberlin, and then we'd go to the program together. At some point, Jatayu agreed to drive me back after each program. He spoke very softly and thought for some time before responding to a question. After a while, we became deeply comfortable together, and laughed a lot amid discussion of spiritual topics. With Jatayu's patient encouragement, we ended up starting and conducting a weekly kirtan program in Fairchild Chapel at Oberlin College. The acoustics were amazing, and the kirtan would reverberate in a celestial way. The students who came loved it, and loved Jatayu. We also organized a Ratha Yatra festival as part of Oberlin's "Big Parade", an annual event in which anyone can make a float for the parade. So, our float was the Ratha cart, expertly transported by Akhilananda Prabhu. Devotees served prasadam as well, which was much appreciated by the students, many of whom are vegetarian. This Ratha Yatra still takes place each year, carried on by Srimalla Prabhu and the Cleveland community. After I graduated college, I'd visit Jatayu and Renee pretty regularly. When I was touring with friends at different times from 2012-2015, we would always stop and stay with Jatayu and Renee. Whoever I brought there was always excited to see the alpacas.
When Rosa Tu and I were touring in 2015, we spent time with Jatayu and Renee. During that visit, Jatayu experienced vertigo and said that he couldn't breathe. He ended up going to the hospital, where he was quickly discharged. We saw him there on our way out of Ohio. For a few years, Jatayu had complained of pain in his abdomen, which he thought was related to shingles. After the time with Rosa, I was touring with Saul Alpert-Abrams in California. While out there, I received a call from Kunjari, who informed me that Jatayu was in the hospital again, and that his condition was serious. He was unresponsive and unable to talk. I traded my ticket from California back to NJ for a ticket to Cleveland.
I had the fortune of being able to spend the days in the hospital with Jatayu. These were the last ten days of his life. He moved in and out of consciousness, never speaking, but smiling and waving on a few occasions. He sometimes made motions with his hands as though he was chanting on japa beads or offering arati. I tried to accompany him in the way that he would want to be accompanied- chanting, reading, and talking with him. His condition worsened, and it was revealed that he had a large, cancerous tumor attached to his lung. This placed pressure on his spinal cord, which resulted in spinal fluid entering his brain. The doctors determined that Jatayu had suffered brain damage. Renee made the decision to remove Jatayu's ventilator. Renee, Srimalla, Akhilananda, Dayal Nitai, Purnamasi, Radica, myself, and others were there in kirtan at the time that he passed. He passed away quickly after the ventilator was removed. We performed last rites. I stayed with Renee for a few days afterward, then rode a bus back to Newark. There were no more tours scheduled, and I felt pressure to find a job.
Jatayu was a friend, spiritual mentor (siksa-guru), father figure, and inspiration. He showed me what it looked like to actually live out spiritual teachings in a way that was simple and humble, but encompassing and profound. I miss him and think of him all the time. There is so much that I'd like to ask him and share with him. I wonder what he would think of how my life has taken shape so far. We are still close with Renee, and that means the world. She always (half-jokingly but steadfastly) encourages us to move to Ohio.